The Mossos d'Esquadra secure the Gràcia neighborhood due to the eviction of Ca l'Espina.
One of the occupants has trapped himself in a drum with cement to prevent its extraction.
BarcelonaThe Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) have begun the eviction of the Ca l'Espina blog in Barcelona's Gràcia neighborhood. The four-story building located on Asturias Street has been occupied for five years and has been warning for some time on social media that they were "pending" eviction.
The Catalan police have sealed off the Gràcia neighborhood due to this eviction. Traffic up Gran de Gràcia Street is blocked from Avinguda Diagonal, with dozens of police patrols in the area and a police helicopter hovering overhead. There are also several police drones in the air. The police have already extracted four occupants from the building. However, a fifth person is trapped inside. That is, one of their limbs has become entangled in a drum of cement to prevent their eviction. A sixth person is also hanging from ropes on the facade.
Since early morning, around fifty protesters have attempted to prevent the eviction, and a pro-Palestinian demonstration later joined, eventually gathering around 100 people. Around 9:00 a.m., numerous Mossos d'Esquadra public order units arrived in the area and pushed the protesters away from the building entrance. This action was carried out without significant incident, apart from a scuffle and a hiding inside a fruit stand across the street. The police used batons at some points to gain a position and push the protesters away from the block.
Inside the building, there were several people wearing white masks. One of them is still hanging on the facade of the building. Now, the police are going floor by floor of the building, securing the property and assessing its safety. "Patience and keeping it moving," says an officer involved in the operation. The building is fortified, with wood, furniture, and other objects placed on its doors to hinder access, and displays several pro-occupation banners such as "Grurgeois Grace will continue to be occupied" and a Palestinian flag. The Brimo Machines group is in charge of removing these obstacles. According to police sources, all the apartments were fortified.
The owners explain themselves.
The blog's owners have even gone so far as to evict them. It's a family real estate agency, Bojous, where his parents and son, Oscar, work. He explains that, according to the law, they are large property owners because they own around twenty homes, but they don't engage in speculation or allow tourist apartments: "We offer affordable rentals," he asserts. They bought this blog, in a prime location in Gràcia, in 2019 from two sisters and wanted to renovate it to build apartments, as it was outdated. A few weeks later, however, they occupied the property.
The owners decided to have one of their "relatives" live on the ground floor, where an old business premises is located, to monitor the situation in the block. This man explains that around ten people have always lived there and complains that they have often made his life miserable. The owners also report harassment by the occupiers, who have painted their office and the house in which they live.